In an early season CHSAA league game, Rice High School of Manhattan, NY proved to be the superior team as they ran away with an easy victory over rival All Hallows High School of the Bronx at the Gauchos Gym by a final of 71-44 on Friday night.

The Raiders took what was a fairly close and competitive game early on and completely dominated the Gaels in the second half, as second ranked Rice just had too much firepower behind the likes of star senior guards Drexel-bound Chris Fouch and Connecticut commit Kemba Walker.

The young All Hallows team tried to counter the experience of Rice with two super sophomores, including silky smooth 6'5" combo guard Shane Southwell, better known to Gaels faithful as "King SS", and the tough Devon Collier. They led the team by scoring 10 points apiece.

However, All Hallows had no answer for the difficult Rice press, which was relentless until the final second ticked off the clock. The Raiders speedy defense and quick hands caused numerous turnovers, which led to easy fast break points at the other end. One beneficiary for Rice was the multi-talented Durand Scott, who had a big game with 13 points.

Rice put the game firmly away in the fourth period. Leading 51-36 with just under eight minutes to play, the Raiders went on a nice 20-8 run to finish the game as they took control on both sides of the ball.

The Gaels looked overmatched at times, as Rice used their athleticism to command the boards and greatly out rebound All Hallows, especially on the offensive glass. Mix that in with the Raiders ability to patiently look for good shots against the Gaels zone defense and you have a game that was never really in doubt. Fouch kept the All Hallows defense honest by nailing two long three's and finishing with eight points..

All Hallows will try to rebound from the loss with a quick turnaround as they play South Shore High Saturday afternoon in the Big Apple Basketball Challenge. Rice goes to Monsignor Farrell for their next game on Tuesday night.

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